Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman
School in Florida bans her famous poem
Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.
© CNP/AdMedia/ImageCollect
A Miami school is banning elementary school students from reading the poem Amanda Gorman recited at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
The pictures of her appearance at the inauguration event for Joe Biden (80) as US President went around the world in 2021 and made the poet and activist Amanda Gorman (25) a well-known personality. The poem “The Hill We Climb” that she recited reflects on America’s history and evokes the country’s diversity, which must be defended against opponents of democracy.
On the covers of Vogue and Time
A short time later, the young poet’s face was emblazoned on the covers of magazines such as “Vogue” and “Time”, appearances on various TV shows, including star presenter Oprah Winfrey (69), followed.
As the “Miami Herald” made public, citing the “Florida Freedom to Read Project” initiative, a volume of Gorman’s poetry has now been banned from reading for elementary school students at a Miami school following a parental complaint. According to reports, the incriminated “The Hill We Climb” was criticized by parents in a written application as “not educational” and the text also conveys “indirect hate messages”.
“The Hill We Climb” banned for elementary school students
Curiously, although the applicants on the complaint form are not Gorman, but the author of the foreword Oprah Winfrey credited as the author and also did not provide further details on alleged hate speech, the responsible committee of the school district reacted promptly with a partial ban of the work from the library of the “Bob Graham Education Center”. From then on, the poem may only be made accessible to middle school students, but not to elementary school students. Works by other authors are obviously also affected by the ban.
Amanda Gorman’s reaction on Instagram
Upon learning of the memorable ban, Amanda Gorman responded immediately a statement on Instagram.
There she was “horrified” that a single objection was often enough to ban works like hers from libraries and schools. In addition, she does not see the selection of banned works as a coincidence: “To be clear: most of the banned works come from authors who have struggled for generations to get on the bookshelves. Most of these censored works come from queer and non-white authors.”
She added that her publisher has joined a lawsuit in Florida against book bans like that of the Bob Graham Education Center.